Incidental findings suggestive of COVID-19 in asymptomatic cancer patients undergoing 18F-FDG PET/CT in a low prevalence region.
Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging
; 48(1): 287-292, 2021 01.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-734109
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
To assess the rate and pattern of incidental interstitial lung abnormalities suggestive of COVID-19 on 18F-FDG PET/CT in asymptomatic cancer patients during the period of active COVID-19 circulation between March and April 2020 in a geographic area of low prevalence of the virus.METHODS:
1396 18F-FDG PET/CT performed between January 1, 2020, and February 21, 2020, and between March 16, 2020, and April 17, 2020 for routine oncological indication were retrospectively analyzed. No patients had symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 at the time of the 18F-FDG PET/CT. Incidental interstitial pneumonias suggestive of COVID-19 were identified, and the 18F-FDG PET/CT patterns were described. We compared the incidence of these lesions in the pre-COVID and pandemic phases.RESULTS:
We observed a 1.6% increase in interstitial lung abnormalities during the period of COVID-19 circulation. All had < 50% lung involvement. We describe a case series with typical and atypical interstitial pneumonias suggestive of COVID-19 as unilateral or bilateral with ground-glass opacity, consolidation, or crazy-paving patterns.CONCLUSION:
The relatively low increase in incidental findings suggestive of COVID-19 infection on 18F-FDG PET/CT in asymptomatic cancer patients was in accordance with the low COVID-19 transmission in our geographic region. Nevertheless, nuclear medicine physicians should familiarize themselves with typical and atypical 18F-FDG PET/CT patterns suggestive of COVID-19 pneumonia and initiate appropriate intervention where necessary.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Incidental Findings
/
Asymptomatic Infections
/
Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography
/
COVID-19
/
Neoplasms
Type of study:
Case report
/
Diagnostic study
/
Observational study
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
English
Journal:
Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging
Journal subject:
Nuclear Medicine
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S00259-020-05014-3
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